Meriden house predating American Revolution being preserved piece by piece

The Associated Press

Published 12:00 am, Friday, June 7, 2013

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Meriden house predating American Revolution being preserved piece by piece

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MERIDEN -- Instead of demolishing a historic farmhouse that's been around since before the birth of the nation, Brian Kogut decided to preserve it.

The 253-year-old house is in the process of being saved. Kogut and his father, Frank Kogut, owners of Kogut Nursery, bought the house about a year ago and soon found out that it was built in 1760.

Brian Kogut wanted to restore the home, so he hired a craftsman to dismantle it. The idea is to take it down piece by piece so it can be put together again in a different location.

"We originally wanted to knock it down," Kogut said Friday.

The house and surrounding property were once part of the Walnut Vale Farm, a dairy farm run by the Yale family. The Koguts purchased the land decades ago and run the Kogut Nursery there.

About a year ago, the Yale family approached the Koguts about buying the house. It was in disrepair and would have cost thousands of dollars to fix up. The Koguts bought it with the idea of taking it down and expanding their business.

"The home was never out of the Yale family," said David Yale, a relative of Noah Yale, who built it in 1760.

David Yale's parents, Julius and Beverly Yale, lived in the house during the 1950s and '60s, he said. His parents eventually moved out of the house. Yale's grandmother, Amy Peck Yale, moved into the house and then his cousins lived in the house until it was sold to Kogut.

When Kogut saw the age of the home on records, he wanted to find someone who might be able to restore it. Because the foundation was crumbling, he knew no one would be able to take the house away in one piece. Kogut knew of people who had dismantled homes for interested buyers. With the economy on the downside, Kogut wasn't sure if anyone would want to restore an old house without a buyer in mind.

After nine months of searching, Kogut found Virgil Rollins, a craftsman who is dismantling the house piece by piece, free of charge.

"He's taking it apart in hopes someone will want to put it back up," Kogut said. "He's been labeling each piece and taking pictures of everything."

Kogut said Rollins is taking a risk. He's not sure if he'll be able to sell it. If not, he may be able to sell the historic pieces.

"It's a painstaking process," Kogut said.

Rollins has been working on the house for the past month, Kogut said. Last Wednesday it looked as if the house was being built, with the frame and some sheathing standing on the deteriorating foundation.

"I'm just happy we're able to save it," Kogut said.

Once the house is taken down, the Koguts will use the land to expand their business.

"We were overjoyed when we heard about it being restored," Yale said. "It's not just being smashed down or bulldozed. We thought it'd be gone forever."

Many members of the Yale family were born in that house and died in that home, Yale said. Someone somewhere could end up living in the historic home from Meriden, he said.